


Five Italian Meals Where Ray Vecchio Was Present and One Where He Wasn't

by Ride_Forever



Category: due South
Genre: Challenge Response, Gen, One Word Prompts, Recipes, Unconventional Format, dsvb challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-22
Updated: 2016-09-22
Packaged: 2018-08-15 20:03:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8070835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ride_Forever/pseuds/Ride_Forever
Summary: The title is  the summary: five Italian meals where Ray Vecchio was present and one where he wasn't.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SLWalker](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SLWalker/gifts).



> The recipes format is a response to a recipes challenge given within the call for fanworks for Ray Vecchio Day 2016. Additionally, the prompt word "nevertheless" was taken from the bi-monthly prompts at [dS6D_fanworks on LiveJournal](http://ds6d-fanworks.livejournal.com/).
> 
> A special TYK to [SLWalker](http://archiveofourown.org/users/SLWalker/pseuds/SLWalker) for calling forth my Turnbull Muse.

_On Ray’s first birthday, the Vecchio family gathered around and sang “Tanti auguri a te, tanti auguri a te, tanti auguri Raimondo, tanti auguri a te”. It was the first time that baby Ray had Ma Vecchio’s home-made gelato._  
Traditional Basic Crema Gelato Recipe:  
Ingredients:  
• 2 cups whole milk  
• Pinch of salt  
• 2/3 cup sugar  
• 5 egg yolks  
• 2/3 cup heavy cream  
Directions:  
In a saucepan, combine milk and salt. Warm the milk until foamy bubbles form along the edge. Remove from heat.  
In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar together until very thick and smooth. Gradually add the hot milk, whisking constantly. Return the mixture back to the saucepan and to the stove. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously, until the mixture gels slightly and coats the back of the spoon. If small egg lumps begin to surface, remove from the heat immediately.  
Place a strainer or a piece of cheesecloth over a medium bowl and pour the warm custard mixture through the strainer. Cover and chill in the refrigerator until completely chilled, about 2 hours.  
In a medium bowl, beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the cooled custard.  
Pour mixture into an ice cream churn and follow the manufacturer’s instructions to freeze. Transfer to a sealed container and freeze until slightly firm.  
Serves 6  
~*~ ~*~ ~*~  
_Ray and all the Vecchios followed the Italian Christmas Eve tradition of a meatless meal. One of Ray’s favorite fishy starters was raw anchovies in lemon marinade._  
Raw Anchovies in Lemon Marinade Recipe:  
Ingredients:  
• ⅝ pound anchovies  
• lemon juice to taste  
• extra-virgin olive oil to taste  
• salt to taste  
• vinegar to taste  
• oregano, chopped, to taste  
Directions:  
Clean and scale the anchovies.  
Wash them under cold running water and dry well.  
Arrange the anchovies in a terrine or baking dish and cover them with a generous amount of lemon juice, a pinch of salt, a splash of vinegar, and a bunch of chopped oregano.  
Let marinate for 24 hours, then drain and transfer to a serving dish. Season, to taste, with extra-virgin olive oil.  
Serves 4.  
~*~ ~*~ ~*~

_Macaron-style cookies gained fame as an Italian wedding dessert from when they were introduced by the chef of Catherine de Medici in 1533 at the time of her marriage to the Duc d'Orleans. The tradition continues to the present day and was a main feature of the sweets table at Ray and Angie’s wedding._

 

Macaron (Italian Meringue) Recipe:

Ingredients:

Mass:  
150g powdered sugar  
150g almond meal  
50g egg whites  
Gel food coloring  
2 tsp cornstarch  
pinch of salt

 

Meringue:

55g egg whites  
35g granulated sugar (to stabilize half egg whites)  
120g granulated sugar  
40g water

 

Materials:  
Parchment baking paper  
Candy thermometer  
Kitchen scale  
Piping bags with tips  
Stand mixer or hand mixer

 

Directions:  
Sift almond meal and powdered sugar together into a large bowl. Add the 50g egg whites and mix until it becomes a dough-like consistency. (This is the time to add food coloring -- be aware the meringue will lighten the color of the mass.) Set aside and cover with plastic wrap so it doesn't harden.

For the meringue, beat the 55g egg whites in the bowl until soft peaks form. When egg whites become bubbly, add the extra 35g sugar to stabilize it. DO NOT overbeat egg whites at this stage. After they have formed, turn down your mixer to "stir" or very low to keep them moving so they don't deflate.

At the same time, put the water and sugar on the stove over medium-high heat and attach your candy thermometer. When the mixture gets bubbly all around with no spots of unboiled water (or 240 degrees F) pour the sugar syrup into the egg whites and turn up the speed of your mixer to high. Let it beat until the bowl of the mixer is warm to the touch (body temperature). 

Then, add 1/3 of the meringue to the mass and fold until you cannot see any more white streaks of meringue. After you have lightened the mass, add the rest of the egg whites and fold.

Now you are ready to pipe them with your piping bag into 1-1.5 inch diameter circles, however big you like. Pipe them onto the parchment paper, fitting about 20-24 circles on each pan.

Then drop your baking sheets about 2-3 times until they flatten out and the air bubbles pop. If you still see any, pop them with a toothpick. Now let them dry about 20-30 minutes or until they are dry to the touch (depends on humidity). While you're waiting, preheat your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Check your oven to make sure it's the correct temperature. Now bake them for 10-13 minutes, or even longer if they are still too moist inside. Bake only one tray at a time if your oven has inconsistent heat. Let them cool completely before you take them off the parchment paper.

Sandwich together with a buttercream filling and you're done. Store filled shells in an airtight container in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours (this helps the shell meld together with the filling).  
Makes about 48 shells which becomes about 24 completed macarons.  
~*~ ~*~ ~*~  
_Fraser invited Ray to his apartment for a Fraser-cooked meal and the following conversation ensued. “Benny, I didn’t know that you could cook Italian so good!” “Well, Ray, this is actually a Canadian recipe. The semolina for this pasta comes from the durum wheat that is grown in the western prairie provinces of Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Manitoba; the climate and growing conditions in the Canadian prairies are ideal for growing high-protein, low-starch wheat. As for the salmon, one can choose from the genus Salmo of the Canadian Atlantic regions or the genus Oncorhynchus of the Canadian Pacific regions.”_  
Creamy Smoked Salmon Pasta Recipe:  
Ingredients: 

6 tablespoons butter  
1 onion, finely chopped  
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour  
2 teaspoons garlic powder  
2 cups milk  
½ cup grated Romano cheese  
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed and drained  
1 cup canned mushrooms, drained  
10 -12 ounces smoked salmon, chopped  
1 16-ounce package of pasta  
Directions:  
1\. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente; drain.  
2\. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion in butter until tender.  
3\. Stir flour and garlic powder into the butter and onions. Gradually stir in milk. Heat to just below boiling point, and then gradually stir in cheese until the sauce is smooth. Stir in peas and mushrooms, and cook over low heat for 4-5 minutes.  
4\. Toss in smoked salmon, and cook for 2 more minutes. Serve over pasta.  
Makes approximately 4 servings.  
~*~ ~*~ ~*~  
_There’s that Chicago Italian restaurant where Ray took Fraser, Huey, and Gardino to celebrate Ray’s pay-raise, the place about which Ray said “This is the best restaurant in the world. They got a puttanesca like no other….”_  
Puttanesca Sauce Recipe:  
Ingredients:  
• 1 tablespoon olive oil  
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced  
• 1 2-ounce can anchovies, drained and minced  
• 1 1/2 pounds Roma tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/2-inch cubes  
• 1 2-ounce can sliced ripe olives, drained  
• 3 tablespoons drained capers  
• 1 teaspoon hot chili flakes  
• Grated parmesan cheese  
• Salt and pepper 

Directions:  
In a 12-inch frying pan, combine oil and garlic. Stir over medium-high heat until garlic is soft but not brown, about 1 minute. Mix in anchovies.  
Turn heat to high. Add tomatoes, olives, capers, and hot chili flakes to pan and stir until tomatoes are hot, about 3 minutes.  
Add cheese, salt, and pepper to taste.  
Makes 3 - 4 servings.  
~*~ ~*~ ~*  
_Frannie: “Ray, what are you doing here?”_  
_Ray: “Frannie, what are you doing here?”_  
_Frannie and Ray: “Turnbull invited me….”_  
_Turnbull: “Oh my goodness! Quel malentendu! Detective Vecchio, you are always welcome here in Canada…but tonight’s dinner invitation was intended for MISS Vecchio ! Nevertheless, I shall be happy to make a dinner for you too…but on another night. ”_


End file.
